Backbytes - Millennium resolutions

There follows a small collection of hot tips on how to survive the year 2000, courtesy of the Software Productivity Group:

1. Brush up on letter writing skills - don't make phone calls across time zones. BT may bill you for 99 years-worth of calls.

2. Start hanging around cash machines - if you're lucky, a stream of tenners may come your way, so keep a Tesco carrier bag handy.

3. Learn to rollerblade - modern cars contain countless chips so you'll need an alternative form of transport.

4. Avoid Piccadilly Circus - assuming your VW Beetle works, you will still have to contend with traffic lights failing.

5. Put off paying bills and take out a loan - billing systems are going to fall over as many were written more than 20 years ago. Hopefully, records will get lost or become corrupted. So no-one will know whether you've paid or not.

6. Take your New Year skiing holiday in Scotland - avoid flying if possible.

Even if airlines are sorting our their systems, the air traffic control systems in some countries may be bit dodgy.

7. Use the stairs - elevators will not work because they are programmed to accommodate different times of the day.

8. Stay in and watch TV - don't rely on your video to record the Sound of Music.